66 years since first Food Lion store opened in North Carolina

SALISBURY, NC (WWAY) — Tuesday marks 66 years since Food Lion first opened its doors.

The store popped up as ‘Food Town’ in Salisbury on December 12, 1957.

It was the largest supermarket in the town at the time, measuring 15,000 square feet.

Co-founder Ralph Ketner began to transform the local store into the fastest-growing grocery chain in the country in 1968.

The store was renamed Food Lion in 1983.

There are now more than 1,100 Food Lion stores in the country, with 505 being located in North Carolina.